"Be bold for change" was the theme of this year's International Women's Day and speakers at an event held by the 100 Mile & District Women's Centre Society on March 8 were just that: bold.
Lawyer Tanya Campbell-Brown told the story of her journey to becoming a lawyer and raising children in 100 Mile House, while First Nations counsellor Lorelei Boyce told her story of attending residential school and her path to attaining an education and becoming a successful counsellor.
Boyce talked about how her years of residential school at St. Joseph's Mission influenced her to work on aiding others in her community.
Her bold moment, she says, was pursuing an education. Boyce attended the University of Victoria to attain a bachelor of social work and then a masters degree in education specializing in counselling. School could be challenging, especially as a First Nations woman she says.
"I keep moving forward, no matter how scared I am."
She encouraged others to do the same.
'No matter how scared, how different you are, if they judge you... if you've got something on your mind you want to do just go for it."
Susann Collins, the executive director of the Women's Centre, echoed that sentiment after the event.
"There were two totally different stories, but the core of them both was about finding that thing in you that's what you really want to be and what you really want to do," says Collins. "Even if it is really hard, you can overcome everything."
The Women's Centre offers a variety of services including weekly drop in talks, individual and group counselling to those who live or have lived with abuse, access to legal services, a clothing closet and a library. They also run a safe house for women and children fleeing abuse.
The Women's Centre runs a yearly event to celebrate International Women's Day.
"It's really about celebrating women and women as women. Women in society. Women in families. Women who have certain roles in the community such as doctors, lawyers, social workers, counsellors. The stay at home mom. Women in general play a very important role in our society," says Kalika Moody, a trauma counsellor with the Women's Centre.
"I'm really hoping that women will hone in on how special they are. That they will reach in and, like a lot of the messages were, go after what you want," she says.